Toy smoke-producing apparatus



Nov. 10, 1953 F. PETTIT 2,658,303

Toy sMoxE-PRoDuCING APPARATUS Filed Dec. 16. 1947 Patented Nov. 10,195:;

OFFICE TOY SMOKE-PRODUCING APPARATUS Frank Pettit, Union, N. J assignerto The Lionel Corporation, New York, N. Y., a corporation of New YorkApplication December 16, 1947, Serial No. 792,108

(Cl. L16--9) 6 Claims.

The present invention relates to toy smokeproducing apparatus and ismore particularly directed. toward the production oi smoke in toylocomotives.

To create the illusion of the ordinary puffing steam locomotive it isdesirable to provide means in the locomotive for producing pus of smokeor smoke-like material so that the operation of the locomotive will bemore realistic as it travels along the track.

The present invention contemplates an improved smoke-producing apparatusaccording to which the smoke-producing material is carried in asubstantially closed electrically heated retort and means are providedfor producing intermittent blasts oi air which are directed into thesmoke vapors in the retort so that some of them are expelled through anupwardly extendu ing flue.

The present invention contemplates an air pump operable by the movinglocomotive and acting to produce intermittent air jets which aretransmitted to the smoke chamber whiie no return of iiow or air from thesmoke chamber toward the pump is possible during the suction stroke ofthe pump.

`Other and further objects will appear as the description proceeds.

The accompanying drawings show, for purposes of illustrating the presentinvention, one embodiment in which the invention may take form, it beingunderstood that the drawings are illustrative of the invention ratherthan limiting the same.

In the drawings:

Figure l is a vertical longitudinal sectional view through the frontpart oi a toy locomotive showing the smoke-producing apparatus.

Figure 2 is a top plan view with parts in section along the line 2--2 ofFigure l; and

Figure 3 is an exploded vertical sectional View taken on the line ofFigure 2.

The locomotive is provided with a chassis or body iii of any convenienttype. A pair of driving wheels indicated at il, Il is carried on an axleI2 which carries a cam It adapted to engage a bent lever ifi anchored atits left end as indicated at i5. This lever is received in a slot i'a inthe body lil and is adapted to be shifted irorn the full line to thedotted line positions as the cam revolves.

The smoke unit is secured near the iront of the locomotive, it beingcarried by a bracket 2i] as indicated. This bracket carries a downwardlyopening cylinder 2i and the cylinder receives an inverted cup-likepiston 22 which rests on the 2 free end 23 oi the lever id. The upperend of the piston and the bracket are apertured as indicated at 2t sothat on the up stroke of the piston a strong jet of air is forced outthrough these apertures.

The bracket carries a die cast housing 25 which has a central boss 2t tospace the bottom wall 2i' of the housing above the bracket. The housinghas a cup-shaped receiver 2E and a hole fie aligned with the holes 2liand extending from the bottom face 2i of the housing to the top. Thishole is preferably tapered as indicated in the drawing. A sheet ofinsulation extends across the bottom oi the receiver. A resistanceheater 3| is mounted above this sheet of insulation and sheet metallead-in strips 32, 32 eX- tend out through notches 33 in the outer wallof the housing. These strips are covered with insulation. A sheet metalcover fits tightly about the upper part of the housing. This cover has aflue opening 35 oi reduced diameter. It is received in the cover oi thelocomotive.

A pellet o1 smoke-producing material such as a wax, which will melt whenheated, may be dropped through the nue. This material should be of sucha nature that it will not impair resistance heaters at the hightemperature required for volatilization. The heating current receivedfrom the locomotive circuit will act to volatilize this material andproduce a volume of smoke vapors in the retort. These do not readilyescape because the small hole 29 does not provide enough air for strongconvection currents. The vapors condense in the chamber and arereturned.

When the locomotive is moving along the track the pump is in operationand this produces a strong blast of air or jet which passes through theopening 2li and into the passageway 29 thereby forcing a blast oi airinto the retort and causing a puff of smoke to be blown out. When thepiston of the pump descends, air is drawn in through the holes 2t but asthese holes are not in communication with the hole 29 there is noreverse suction of air from the retort chamber to the pump. This avoidswasting the smoke-producing material and keeps it out of the pump or theinterior of the locomotive.

Since it is obvious that the invention may be embodied in other formsand construction within the scope of the claims, I wish it to beunderstood that the particular forms shown are but a few of these forms,and various modifications and changes being possible, I do not otherwiselimit myself in any way with respect thereto.

What is claimed is:

1. In a toy smoke-producing apparatus, in combination, a pump having areciprocating piston and a cylinder having a tiny port in its end,through which air compressed in the cylinder escapes as a jet, and asmoke generating retort iixeolly disposed relative to the pump andprovided with an exhaust flue andv having an injection passageway withits inlet end open to the atmosphere for aspiration of air in additionto the air in the jet and transmitting the same into the retort, thepassageway being aligned with the port to accept the jet of air expelledthere through and the entrappedair but spaced from the port so that aircan enter the cylinder through the port without going through the pasusageway.

2. A toy smoke-producing apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein theflue is vertical and above the bottom of the retort to admitsmoke-producing material and the retort has an electric resistanceheater.

3. A smoke-producing toy locomotive having driving wheels, a cam drivenwith the wheels, a xed cylinder, a reciprocable piston in the cylinderdrivingly connected to the caro, the cylinder having a tiny port in itsend` through which air compressed in the cylinder escapes as a jet, aretort i'ixedly disposed relative to the cylinder spaced from the end oithe cylinder and having a passageway aligned with the port and itsadjacent end open to the outside air so that on the suction stroke oithe piston air enters through the port without going through thepassageway and on the compression stroke the expelled air forms a jetadapted to enter the passageway, the retort having a smoke generatingchamber into which the passageway opens and an exhaust port forexpulsion of vapors.

4. In a smoke-producing toy, a housing having a cup-shaped receiver forsmoke-producing material, the housing wall having a vertical passagewaylateral of and close to the receiver and opening downwardly andupwardly, a cover over the x. housing, the cover being spaced above theupper end of the passageway and having an exhaust flue, an electricheater in the receiver, and means for producing intermittent one wayblasts of air directed upwardly through the passageway.

5. In a smoke-producing toy, a housing having a cup-shaped receiver forsmoke producing rnaterial, the housing wall having a Vertical passagewaylateral of and close to the receiver and opening downwardly andupwardly, a cover over the housing, the cover being spaced above theupper end of the passageway and having an exhaust iiue, an electricheater in the receiver, and a reciprocating pump fixedly disposedrelative to the receiver and having a .iet forming port aligned with butspacedv from the lower end of the passageway.

6. A device for producing a succession of puffs of smoke to simulate thesmoke from a locoinotive stack which comprises a smoke generating retorthaving an electrically heated receiver for smoke producing materialwhereby the retort may be kept lled with smoky vapors, an exhaust ueabove the receiver, means providing a relatively srnall air injectionpassageway with its outlet end opening into the retort and its inlet endopen to the atmospherey so that fresh air may enter the retort throughthe same, and means for eiecting unidirectional intermittent blasts offresh air through the inlet opening of the injection passageway to expelsome of the vapors through the flue.

FRANK PETTIT.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS NumberName Date 1,287,769 Schanschiefr` Dec. 17, 1918 1,599,736 Wright Sept.14, 1926 1,737,787 Domhrow Dec. 3, 1929 2,324,359 Callan July 13, 19432,413,284c Bonanno Dec. 31, 1946

